The Book Nook by CC-Liz

The May Reading Roulette Category is:  Read a book with a weather-related word in the title.  "Example book titles should contain words like: storm, wind, rain, sun, flood, blizzard, heat, air, breeze, chill, dry, drizzle, drought, cyclone, tornado, hurricane, freeze, frost, gale, weather, humid, ice, lightning, polar, rainbow, depression, hail, steam, shower, snow, burst, smoke, smog, thunder, tropical, typhoon, vortex, warm, warning, wave. Of course, you can use all versions of these words, like icy, rainy, snowy, etc. You can also use any other words that you feel fit the category." via GIPHY This month I decided to take the roulette challenge a little literally. I chose a book that is called "Weather: A Novel." I figured since it' weather-related, what better word to use than weather?!?! "Weather" is written by Jenny Offill and is an interesting read to say the least, but please do NOT read if you having questionable mental health.

Sorry for the delay my lovely readers! I planned to read the entire book in one or two readings, but life had other plans for me this last week. Between yesterday and today I did read about 6 hours worth (with distractions) while playing catch up! As promised though I have provided a lovely, fairly short review. The backstory of Coriolanuns Snow was intriguing. I think everyone that loved "The Hunger Games" will enjoy reading "The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes." There are a lot of Easter eggs for the later books that were super fun to look for. My favorite part was spotting all the different surnames that come up later in the series. Suzanne Collins does a wonderful job of building upon the character of Snow that we all love and hate. Without giving details or large spoilers I'll share a few more minor things we learn. We learn how the Hunger Games actually started then evolved and where Snow's affinity for using poison comes from. I'm afraid ther

Amazon brought me a present a day early! Tonight I will be returning to the world of Panem. I already forewarned my co-worker there is a 50/50 chance I'll be dead tired tomorrow. I intend to read straight through! If I'm unable to, it will be done tomorrow night and a review will be posted shortly after. Let the read-athon begin and may the odds be ever in your favor! via GIPHY

"The Alive Network: A Novel." This title deserves to end with a period. The title doesn't say much about this amazing piece of literature, but it is a sobering read that is well-written. "The Alice Network" is a work of historical fiction which jumps between World War I in 1915 and post-war 1947. It follows Eve Gardiner's story of being a wartime spy and how she copes with life afterwards, but Eve isn't the first character you meet. Charlie is the other main narrator and she's on a desperate search for her cousin that disappeared during the war. Charlie and Eve end up on a cross country mission together with Eve's driver Finn. Too often, I found myself having to Google different parts of the story. Things were so descriptive at times you would believe Kate Quinn was actually there to write about these historical events. The more I read these styles of books, the more I see how much the American education system is lacking in history. I can

Hogwarts will always be there to welcome you home. For years, I have used the Harry Potter series as an escape from reality. I have read them in every possible medium I can understand, seen all the movies, gone to conventions, and been to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Orlando Florida. Thanks to COVID-19 JK Rowling released "The Philosopher's Stone," narrated by Stephen Fry. I've been meaning to listen to it, but I have been 'too busy.' Now, I'm wondering if the world just knew I would need something new (to me) related to Harry Potter now. I re-entered the magical world last night to help me escape and cope with reality. This photo is my friend Dan. He's been missing since October 21, 2019. There have been multiple searches and locating him has been a community wide effort. I was highly involved, joining searches, hanging flyers, and reaching out to any possible business to share his poster. This last Saturday May, 16, 2020

Thanks to COVID-19 I haven't entered a bookstore or a library since February, maybe the beginning of March. Yesterday, was my birthday and our local BAM (Books-A-Million) just opened back up! I probably wouldn't have gone if my birthday dinner wasn't ordered for pick-up from the restaurant directly next door. I knew I missed being surrounded by books, but I didn't realize how great it would feel to return! I wore my mask and avoided the other 3 shoppers and walked away with 3 books and part of my Mother's Day gift for my mother! I picked up "The Giver" quartet in a beautifully bound edition, "The Shadowhunter's Codex," and "The Hamilton Affair." I can't wait to read them! I last read "The Giver" in middle school and I never read the entire series. More books to add to my 'to be read' pile! My Mother's Day gift was renewing her BAM membership. I wasn't sure what to get her and then when I bought my boo

"Letters to a Young Feminist" by Phyllis Chesler is a short nonfiction book of feminist essays. I feel like it is less of a book to review and more of a book to reflect upon. I have been slowly reading it, only a couple of essays a day. Today, I came across this line, "It is often women, worldwide, who shame other women into obedience." This came from an essay entitled 'We Need a Feminist Continent.' This statement was focusing on extreme cases such as mothers mutilated their daughter's genitals or women who banish women that were raped. This forced me to bring this discussion closer to home. I started thinking about American beauty culture. We, as women, shame other women for any perceived physical flaw. Here is where it can be easily debated: it's shaming women into obedience to corporations making money on diets, beauty products, etc. It really hit home because I remember overhearing a girl at the dance club last year making fun of the performer&#

I came across this novel by accident. I was at a birthday party and started discussing books with some of the ladies around the table. "City of Girls" came up a few times as something I should read. Three months later and I've finally decided it would be a good time to give it a try! "City of Girls" by Elizabeth Gilbert is a novel that will keep you reading. This novel published in 2019 is full of exciting and scandalous exploits. It opens in New York City 2010 with our main character Vivian Morris reading a letter from an unknown person named Angela. The whole book revolves around answering Angela's question, "What were you to my father?" Vivian goes back in her memory to the summer of 1940 when she was kicked out of Vassar College and was sent to Manhattan to live with her Aunt Peg in the rundown theater 'Lily Playhouse.' The Lily is the backdrop for the first half of the novel. Vivian takes us through her memories of her time ther

Since I started this blog so late in the reading challenge this year, I figured a recap of the year so far would be a good idea. I'll break it down by month listing the title and the author. On my original list I didn't include narrators for the audio books, but they will be included here since narrators shape the reading experience. January "The Last Battle" by C.S. Lewis "Big Mushy Happy Lump: A Sarah Scribbles Collection" by Sarah Andersen "Fair Play" by Eve Rodsky "Adulthood is a Myth" by Sarah Andersen "Heart and Brain: An Awkward Yeti Collection" by The Awkward Yeti "The Worrier's Guide to Life" by Gemma Correll "The Future is Feminist" by Mallory Farrugia "The Game of Thrones" by George R.R. Martin narrated by Roy Dotrice "Get Off Your iPhone Now!" by Kate Freeman "Just Breathe" by Malika Chopra "Dr. Seuss Goes to War" byRichard H. Minear "

Since I didn't start this blog until May, I thought a quick history of the reading roulette challenges were in order. If you don't know what I'm talking about go check out my first post  about the Great Reading Challenge. In short, reading roulette is a random category chosen by a librarian monthly. If you read a book in that category during the month it was drawn it counts as two books read. The categories that have been drawn so far are: January: Read a book that is shorter than 200 Pages February: Read a Survival Story March: Read a book written by an artist more famous for another medium April: Read a book by an author who has published more than 20 books May: Read a book with a weather related word in the title I have been able to complete this challenge every month so far and with a wide variety of books. January's category was pre-chosen by the librarians because the Great Reading Challenge paperwork wasn't ready until part way into the month. Sin

Every year my local library hosts a Great Reading Challenge that lasts throughout the year. We are given a list of categories to attempt to fill plus bonus activities. To participate you must get at least 18 books read in a year. The highest level is over 100 or more books. My goal this year has been to hit the 100 mark. Thanks to COVID-19 I've already reached around 70 books read. One of the fun bonuses this year is called Reading Roulette. Every month the librarians will draw a random category and if you read a book that fits that criteria it will count as two books read. So far, my library has had: January: Read a book that is shorter than 200 Pages February: Read a Survival Story March: Read a book written by an artist more famous for another medium April: Read a book by an author who has published more than 20 books May: Read a book with a weather related word in the title It's a fun little twist on the categories and creates an extra little challenge. Sometime